Delhi's Connaught Place to go vehicle-free from February to April

The middle and inner circular roads of Connaught Place in the heart of the national capital will be vehicle-free from February for the next three months on a pilot basis, in a move to decongest the area. A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting attended by officials from the Urban Development Ministry, NDMC and Delhi Police. The meeting was chaired by M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister of Urban Development.

"It was decided that pedestrianisation of Connaught Place on a pilot basis would be implemented for three months from February for ground level testing of issues related to changes in traffic circulation, experience of pedestrians and shop owners, management of reclaimed parking lots, traffic load on outer circle etc," an official release said.

The officials stated that 'pedestrianisation' could be promoted by declaring the middle and inner circular roads of CP vehicle free by providing effective 'park and ride' services from major parking areas at Shivaji Stadium, Baba Kharak Singh Marg and Palika parking.

Total parking capacity at these three locations are 3,172 and on an average only 1,088 vehicles are being parked, they said, adding that the unutilised capacity could be fully used by promoting 'park and ride' concept. Besides cycle hiring, battery-operated vehicles would be deployed to take people to the business district. (Source: TOI)